Mystery Solved: The Secret Sauce of Book Marketing for Self-Published Authors
- M.L. Bull
- Mar 14
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Book marketing is the hardest part for many beginner self-published authors after releasing their first books because it requires them to sell something and step out of the comfort zones of their creative writing cocoons. Other writers who aren't too fond about it may think it's boring or time-consuming. Nonetheless, while book marketing does take hard work, knowing the secret sauce of it can make it a whole lot easier and even more fun. It can also be helpful to know the fundamental theories of selling and why people buy books in the first place. Let's check out legitimate reasons people buy books and evaluate a crucial component that's necessary for proper book marketing below. 🔍
WATCH THE EPISODE
See episode 5 of season 3 of my Journey of a Christian Writer series, The Secret Sauce of Book Marketing for Self-Published Authors or continue reading the blog post.
WHY DO PEOPLE BUY BOOKS?
In order for self-published authors to sell books, it’s a good idea to understand why people buy books in the first place. People buy books for various reasons, but they all are emotional rather than for rational reasons. Hence, it's important that self-published authors who have a book business don't sell to people, as people don't like to be pushed into something. Instead, they should justify readers' emotional decision with logical or rational reasons.
Below are some legitimate reasons people buy books:
• To learn something new (specifically for non-fiction, but also fiction)
• For leisure/entertainment/an escape from reality
• Curiosity’s sake
PROBLEMS WITH BOOK MARKETING
When it comes to novels and books, writing is the easiest and funniest part for the majority of self-published authors. However, book marketing is a whole different ball game and many authors struggle and run into issues and problems with their marketing as a published author having a book business. One main reason for this mishap is because most self-published authors know how to write creatively, but they don’t know how to write persuasively, which is a key component that is needed for proper book marketing.
THE SECRET SAUCE
What if there was a “secret sauce” to book marketing that could help you target your ideal reader and build and network with your community?
What if there was a specific way for you as a self-published author to draw the attention of potential readers who want to read your type of books?
What if there were specific formulas that could help you as a self-published author write better book ads, emails, and other types of mass media?
Well, let me tell you—there are!
So, what’s the “secret sauce” of book marketing?
The answer: Copywriting.
NETWORKING VS. COPYWRITING
Most self-published authors try to network first before targeting their proper audience.
This I believe is a mistake.
Why?
Because networking is the lock, but copywriting is the key. If you can learn the secrets of copywriting, you can potentially sell anything. Primarily, networking is a technique one uses to stay in contact and connect with a community one already has, whereas copywriting, is a writing method to target a specific community to act. Hence, this is why I believe self-published authors should place more significance on their message rather than on building a following, as it'll allow them to connect with their ideal readers and build a more authentic community instead of random followers who may or may not have interest in their books.
WHAT IS COPYWRITING?
Copywriting is a type of persuasive writing that gets someone to take action.
Some examples of taking action could be clicking a link, signing up for an email newsletter, downloading a free excerpt, following a social media platform, or buying your book. Based on your written content or persuasive copy, a prospect or reader is prompted to take action. Within the author world and book industry, there are many ways to market and sales copy is everywhere! Some examples of sales copy are online ads, email newsletters, newspaper articles, press releases, book descriptions of product pages, book flyers, banners, websites, blog posts, landing pages, social media captions, and more.
All of these with the purpose of selling books!
THE AWAI METHOD
Recently, I took and completed a copywriting program from the American Writers and Artists Institute that teaches what 90% of other copywriters don’t know. They went over many valuable points of information when it comes to copywriting and the secrets to writing good persuasive content for marketing to sell. Specifically, there were two main formulas that stood out to me, which are their AWAI 4 P’s and 4 U’s. From these formulas, I’ve applied them to book marketing and outlined how authors can use them in their marketing techniques.
Below is the AWAI 4 P's and 4 U's formulas for writing effective persuasive copy:
AWAI'S THE 4 P'S
PROMISE: This is where you make a big, irresistible promise to get the prospect’s attention.
PICTURE: Create a picture in the prospect’s mind enjoying what’s been promised.
PROOF: Show credible proof that what you say is true, so it’s impossible to refuse.
PUSH: Compel the prospect to ACT – close the sale with a great offer.
AWAI'S THE 4 U'S
UNIQUE: Stand out from boring, institutional messaging by including a “USP” (Unique Selling Proposition).
USEFUL: “WIIFM” for the readers, “What’s in it for me?”
URGENT: Give the reader a reason to CLICK NOW.
ULTRA-SPECIFIC: Use specific numbers/dates, concepts are better than vague.
APPLYING THE AWAI 4 P'S AND 4 U'S TO BOOK MARKETING
Just as Lindsay Alexandar, a fellow self-published author and writer of AWAI, other self-published authors can use the AWAI 4 P’s and 4 U’s in their sales copies of their book marketing strategies, which will ensure they target their ideal readers and the right audience. Applying the AWAI’s 4 P’s and 4 U’s allows authors to write effective, persuasive sales copies that will captivate readers and motivate them to act, such as buying their book.
Here's the breakdown layout I created specifically for book marketing:
THE 4 P’s
PROMISE – Create a promise to deliver. Why will readers enjoy your book? What will they gain from reading it? What makes it special, memorable, or unforgettable? Fascinating characters, a captivating story world, a fast-paced plot, etc.
PICTURE – Allow readers to imagine the reading experience. Will they be engaged in your book? How will your book emotionally-impact your readers?
PROOF – Use editorial reviews, customer reviews, testimonials, or endorsements from other well-known authors for credibility and to certify your book is worth reading. Does your book include popular story tropes? Is it related to other known authors?
PUSH – Give a great offer and call-to-action. Use shared links or UBL (Universal Book Links). Where is your book available? What formats is it printed in? How much does it cost? Are there any special sales, free giveaways, discounts, etc.
THE 4 U's
UNIQUE – Make your book unique. What makes your book significant or different compared to others? Consider what makes your book stand out in the book industry or note the special features of your book. Does it have a beautiful book cover? Are there images or pictures inside? Story maps? Free excerpts to other books you wrote, etc.
USEFUL – (“WIIFM,” what’s in it for me?”) What’s in it for readers that read your book? What will the reader gain from reading your novel or story? Valuable life lessons? An escape from reality for a thrilling adventure? Educational information or helpful tips?
URGENT – Create urgency around your book. Why should readers buy your book now? Is it a new release? Limited-time offer? Special discount sale? Other rare golden opportunities? Free giveaways or contest draws?
ULTRA-SPECIFIC – Include exact numeral details. What is your release date? Installment of a series? Book price? Discount percentages for sales? Review ratings?
Deliver a good message and promise, and you're well on your way!
WHY DOES YOUR MESSAGE MATTER?
Your message in sales copy matters because it’s your sales pitch and gives readers a solid reason to read your book or take other actions. Having the right message and promise and delivering your USP (unique selling proposition) will allow you have a greater chance of attracting your ideal readers and target audience for your specific book genre.
If your message and promise is wrong or too pushy, your ideal readers and target audience will probably be disinterested in your book or whatever you have to offer them.
OTHER DOS AND DONTS OF BOOK MARKETING
People don’t like to be sold. Avoid being too pushy. Explain how your book will benefit them.
Use interesting details in your book marketing. Besides telling the public “Buy Now,” talk about your writing process, the characters or story world in your fiction, or what inspired you to write your book. These examples are a lot more appealing than being an aggressive salesperson.
Get creative with your book marketing and new releases and use your imagination. Book marketing doesn’t have to be dreadful or boring for authors, but it can be fun. For example, as I recently had, you can create a story theme of props displayed on your table based on your fictional novel at a book signing event.
Ensure you plan in advance. Some of the reasons book marketing for authors fail is because they didn’t plan and outline a marketing strategy in advance to their new book release.
Learn copywriting or persuasive writing. This will help you improve your marketing skills and come up with creative approaches to your book marketing while using book marketing resources.
Get familiar with book marketing & publishing resources. There are so many out there!
CLOSING REMARKS:
As you can see, it's the message that self-published authors present to the public and their potential readers that ultimately tells all. If you'd like to improve your skills in writing better sales copy, consider practicing the art of copywriting and persuasive content. It will work wonders for you and open many doors of opportunities the better that you get at it, allowing you to create and build a loyal, supportive fanbase and reading community that fits your book genre and is just as excited about your new releases as you are. For more writing videos or tutorials, subscribe to my channel Journey of a Christian Writer series. Okay, that's it for this post. If you liked it and found it helpful, please, give it a (heart❤️), take part in the poll 🤔, and share your thoughts or comments 💬 below.)
Happy Writing! 😊✍🏽💻
🤔Hey, writers, did you find this blog post helpful for your book marketing?
👍Yes! It's very enlightening and useful.
👎No! It's irrelevant. Only social media marketing matters.
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